Most collapsible umbrellas are usually provided with a central telescopic stick, a radiating folding frame or rib assembly partially slidable on the central stick, and a circular fabric canopy or top cover fastened to the radiating frame. The stick is retracted and extended telescopically, the frame is folded and unfolded together with the canopy, and the umbrella as a whole is stretched and collapsed in two or three stages, for example, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,080,976 and 4,105,039. In a fully collapsed condition, the umbrellas are stored within a rigid tubular sheath member, the length of which is approximately equal to that of the fully collapsed umbrella, as disclosed, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,730,199 and 3,744,502.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,456,023, discloses a collapsible umbrella with a rigid tubular sheathing handle being attached to a central telescopic stick in such a way that the umbrella, in a fully collapsed condition, may be withdrawn in the sheathing handle in a completely water-tight manner when a sliding member fixed to the lower end of the stick is at the bottom of the tubular sheathing handle. And in a fully collapsed condition, the umbrella may be taken out of the sheathing handle to be opened for use when the sliding member is retained near the top end of the sheathing handle, thereby rendering the sheathing handle serviceable dually as a storing sheath when the umbrella is not in use and as a handle when it is in use.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,334,454 discloses a collapsible umbrella shaft attached to a cap having two sets of threads formed thereon. The cap is attachable to a housing by the threads in two alternate orientations to close the interior of the housing. In one cap orientation, the folded umbrella is in the interior of the housing. In the other cap orientation, the umbrella is deployed externally of the housing.
Other multi-functioning handles with umbrellas have been disclosed in international patent publication numbers WO 1997/048303 A1, DE 10217280 A1, JPH0937825, JP 2003169707, and FR 2037678. Rather than requiring an additional and separate cover, the handles disclosed in these publications serve additionally as covers for the umbrellas when the umbrellas are not in use.